#Chapter 132 – United

When Victor and Evelyn walk back into the campsite, him still leaning heavily on her shoulder, their family is waiting for them.

Ian and Alvin rush forward, throwing themselves into their parents’ arms.

“We’re so glad you’re okay,” Alvin whispers, his voice excited but edged with sleepiness.

“Did you win?” Ian asks, looking excitedly up at his dad.

His dad ruffles his hair and gives him a warm smile, but doesn’t answer. It’s a complicated question.

Instead, the family moves, together, towards the still-burning fire at the middle of the campsite. Marissa and Bridgette are there, waiting, and Henry rolls out onto the porch of his cabin. Looking around, Victor can see his Beta team edging closer, all eager to hear the results of the trial.

“Well well,” Henry says, folding his hands in his lap. “I see that one of my sons has returned, apparently victorious. And where is Rafe?”

Evelyn can see Bridgette biting her lip, anxious.

Victor flicks his head backwards, indicating the still-dark forest, though dawn is starting to light the sky. “He’s still out there, writhing in the snow, feeling the effects of wolfsbane.”

Bridgette gasps, getting shakily to her feet, staring out into the woods. Evelyn’s heart goes out to her; if it had been Rafe that returned to let them know that Victor was lying in the snow, suffering, she’d be desperate to help him.

Henry opens his mouth to say more, but Victor interrupts him. “Rafe cheated. He sent a proxy in to take his place in the fight, not showing up until his entire force had been wiped out.”

Henry nods, glancing at the boys, who had told him the same. He opens his mouth, ready to declare a winner.

“But,” Victor continues, “the final blow to Rafe was not delt with my hand.”

at Victor and Evelyn, confused. Silence

Evelyn shrugs. “I did

to grab the bottle of white wine out of its cooling pile of snow. “And now I’m going to bed. We

we’ll sort this out in the morning after the medic teams go retrieve the wounded.” With this, he looks pointedly at his lead Beta, who nods, salutes, and then hurries off to retrieve Rafe and the twenty wounded

clearing a wide smile, and not giving them a chance to protest, Evelyn grabs two metal mugs out of a box of supplies and then, decisively, takes Victor’s hand. With little resistance, he goes with her to their cabin. The boys quickly follow

the cabin, Evelyn pours herself a mug of wine and sips it while she helps the boys out of their snow gear. Their eyes are half-lidded now after all of the excitement. They allow themselves to be tucked

as she kisses each on their forehead. She turns to see Victor tending to his ankle, hissing as he eases off

broken?” she

badly.” She hands him a long strip of gauze from a first-aid pack she finds beneath the bed and he wraps his ankle tightly. When he finishes, Evelyn hands him two

into his mouth and then chasing them with sauvignon blanc. “Whiskey would have been

him ease back onto the bed and prop his injured leg up onto some pillows to decrease the swelling. “You’ll see a doctor about it

bed as well,

a frustrated hand down his face.

Evelyn murmurs, taking the final sip of her wine and then lazily putting the cup up on the nearby windowsill. They are silent, a moment, before

from my cold dead hands,” he murmurs back. “But considering they’d have to get through you three first,” he says, smiling and stroking her hair, “I think

herself close to him, not letting herself

eyes, the sun is streaming through the windows of the cabin. She blinks against it as she feels Victor sitting up

he puts his injured leg on the floor. “Go

rubbing his eyes. “We’re not

Evelyn murmurs, rubbing a hand over her sleepy head. “For four more hours of sleep, I’d give up the good

laugh before hobbling off towards the bathroom. He knows

at the window, peering out to see their uncle bundled in blankets, sitting in a wheelchair borrowed from their grandfather. He twitches, lightly, wincing in pain

“He’s pretty beat

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